The
Somerset and Dorset was possibly one of the most interesting railway
lines in the country. With its rather torturous route, linking the
Bristol Channel with the South Coast of England. The line had
everything, beautiful scenery, deep cuttings, tight curves, numerous
tunnels, steep gradients - particularly the sections between Radstock
and Evercreech and the climb out of Bath towards Midford where they
reached 1 in 50. The line also seemed to have a certain charm all of its
own. A certain amount of 'friendly rivalry' existed between stations,
with most of them along the line all trying to have the best kept
station and gardens.

From its initial forming in 1862, the
line existed through some troubled times, particularly in the early
years, including two world wars, and even when the line was absorbed
into the British Railways nationalisation scheme in 1948, when the
London Midland Region operated the line with the Southern Region
supervising, the line still held its own character, right up until final
closure as part of the famous 'Beeching Axe' in 1966.

The Somerset & Dorset had to put up
with a fair bit of unkind publicity in its day.
This postcard was just one such example, a variation on the "Slow &
Dirty" theme.

NOTES ABOUT THE SITE

Most of the information on these pages
has been derived from numerous sources, most of it has been double
checked against other publications etc, but as with any historic
information mistakes can sometimes creep in.

All images on this site remain the
copyright of the respective owners. Due to the nature of old photographs
and books etc. some are not of very good quality but have been included
for their historical interest.

I have tried to present the
information in logical sections, in a standard format, thus (hopefully)
making it easier to read and navigate the pages.

I would finally like to say a big
thank-you to everybody who has provided information, support and
assistance for this site since it's conception in February 1997, your
continued support is very welcome and makes it all worthwhile.